Strength

190,000

Location

Jinan

Jinan Military RegionJinan Military Area Command

The Jinan Military Region is comprised of three group armies and two military districts. Seperate of independent units attached to the MR include a combined arms tactical training base an electronic counter-measures regiment, a tankmen training base, a pontoon regiment, a special operations unit, an aviation regiment and several "techincal daduis".

The Jinan MR covers the Shandong and Henan provinces. The Jinan Military Region is based in Jinan, Shandong Province and operates a large Navy operation. The Jinan Military Region runs the smallest physical area of all the military regions, but the region is heavily industrialized and populated.

During a major military campaign against Taiwan, the Nanjing MR would become part of the so-called "Nanjing War Zone," which probably would include, at a minimum, the three Group Armies in the Nanjing MR, elements from Group Armies based in adjacent military regions (e.g., Guangzhou and Jinan MRs).

A previously unidentified MR Reconnaissance Training Dadui, roughly a regimental equivalent, completed the training of some 600 non-commissioned officers over a six month period ending on 30 August 2003. This was the first class for NCOs run by the dadui. The General Headquarters has requested that the dadui conduct training of some 5,500 soldiers to be assigned throughout the PLA. [Jinan MR Qianwei Bao 8 Sep 2002 (PLA Activities Report Sep 2002)]

The Jinan MR pontoon regiment (Unit 71621) constructed a 238 meter floating bridge spanning the Yellow River at Mengjin, Henan in roughly 8 minutes sometime in the Fall of 2002, according to Qianwei Bao. In recent years, the unit had constructed some 168 floating bridges of various types and supported roughly ten major military exercises. [Jinan MR Qianwei Bao 25 Oct 2002 (PLA Activities Report Oct 2002)]

The Military Region's Combined Arms Tactical Training Base reportedly trained some 50,000 soldiers in 2002 from various PLA units. The facility reportedly is involved in the training of other service arms as well cadets of some academies and training schools. [Jinan MR Qianwei Bao 8 Dec 2002 (PLA Activities Report Dec 2002)]

The Jinan MR's Qianwei Bao indicates that a previously unidentified coastal defense regiment, either based assigned to the Jinan MR or attached to another military region but training in the Jinan area of responsibility conducted live-fire exercises of its large caliber weapons against mobile seaborne targets. The exercises took place along the Bohai Sea. The report indicates that unit demonstrated a high degree of accuracy, every round scoring a hit against the targets. [Jinan MR Qianwei Bao 20 Dec 2002 (PLA Activities Report Dec 2002)]

An Unidentified Survey and Cartography Dadui (of roughly regiment equivalent) has been identified as being attached to the Jinan MR. The unit conducted various command post exercises since Fall 2002 and is the first unit in the PLA to produce fully digitized maps. The uit has apparently developed a variety of digital maps including vectograms, image format maps, digital elevation maps, and digital thematic maps. [Jinan MR Qianwei Bao 12 Feb 2003 (PLA Activities Report Feb 2003)]